Brünig is the easy pass, and it is more fun than that makes it sound. At 1,008 metres it is one of the lowest of the main Alpine crossings in central Switzerland, joining Lungern in Obwalden with the shore of Lake Brienz and the Haslital, and it is open all year. The road is fast and well made, with long sweepers that let you lean the bike and keep the revs up, a kind of riding that is rare in the high mountains.
The Obwalden side climbs from Lungern, a village beside a green lake, up the steep slope in a series of wide bends with views over the water. At the top, the road runs along a wooded saddle with a few small hotels and the old railway nearby. The Brünig railway, a narrow-gauge line with a cog section, has crossed this saddle since the 1880s and still runs scenic trains. From the summit the descent toward Brienz is quick and open, with views over the lake and the Bernese Alps beyond.
The valley below is a place of old wood and new water. Brienz is known for woodcarving, and the village has a school where the craft is still taught, so the shops sell carved bears, cowbells and music boxes. The Aare river runs through Meiringen, a town famous for inventing the meringue, according to local tradition, and for the nearby Reichenbach Falls, where Sherlock Holmes met his end in a Conan Doyle story.
Traffic is heavier than on the higher passes because the Brünig is a main road, and trucks and caravans slow things down at times, but the road is wide enough to make passing easy. In winter the road is cleared and gritted, but the shaded bends can be icy.